A Fairytale Adventure
by HighOnCookies
Summary: Once upon a time, a prince was cursed. Now it's up to Princess Iris to save him, with the help of a childish male fairy who just wants to get back home, a Pikachu, and an Axew with a donut addiction. Wish her luck, everyone.
1. Once Upon A Time

**Explanation: I had a Wishfulshipping dream a while back, posted the basics of it on the Serebii thread, and someone else voted to have it written as a fanfic. It's also based very loosely on Shrek, if that gives you a clue.**

**I'm not that fond of the first chapter, but I promise, it will get better.**

**WARNING: Possible OOC-ness, slight Pokeshipping, scenes that _look_ like Negaishipping but aren't, and insanity all around.**

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><p>Once upon a time, back when fairies gave humans supernatural assistance and kings ruled the land, it was a time for celebration in a kingdom known as Striaton. The triplet sons of the king and queen were reaching their second birthday, and all the important people in the kingdom were coming to visit the young princes. Most of them were accepted - after all, the queen adored the boys and was pleased that everyone seemed to like them so much instead of taking advantage of their tiny little brains and inability to make proper judgements as an excuse to kill them in an attempt to take the throne.<p>

Or maybe they had, and the children were just too smart for the evil grown-ups.

But out of all the guests for the birthday party, one stood out most of all. A man with long, messy green hair, a Hydreigon beside him. This man promised a dark fate for one of the children, the green-haired one hiding behind his brothers. "Soon after the boy turns seventeen, he will get hit by lightning in the middle of a thunderstorm, and he will die."

Luckily for the royal family, a fairy was present, and could try to stop the curse with her magic. Unfortunately, this fairy was still a little hung over from a party in the fairy realm the night before, and she really didn't want to use too much power. She held the little boy's hand and stood quietly, remaining calm through the panic, and made her announcement.

"The prince will not die at seventeen," she declared, to the cheers of just about everyone. She waited until the noise had died down before continuing with, "I never said the lightning wouldn't strike. But I give him the gift of protection. Instead of death, he will go into a coma or something like that, only to be woken by true love's kiss."

Though the fairy's gift had done little to soften the curse, the king and queen weren't worried. After all, who would be stupid enough to play in a thunderstorm?

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><p><em>Fifteen years later...<em>

Ash Ketchum bounced across town, much higher and farther than any mortal could keep up with. His Pikachu nearly purred with excitement, feeling the wind blowing through his fur as his master flew - or at least so it seemed.

Ash was a rarity, one of the few male fairies. Not just any male fairy, he'd be quick to point out. No, he was the best friend of the youngest fairy princess, answering (almost) every command she made with an attempt at obedience, never mind the many, sort of mean comments he made, just to see her get mad.

Catching sight of the princess, and he screeched to a halt beside her favorite pond. "You wanted me, Misty?"

She looked up from petting the Corsola, and gave him that half-amused, half-irritated look only she could master. "Would you have been ordered to come and see me if I hadn't?" she challenged, getting to her feet. "I heard you failed another of your 'helping humans' activities."

"Well, my assignment was that weird psychic," he pointed out. "And I didn't fail. My mission was to stop her from being so creepy, that Haunter got her to laugh, mission accomplished."

"She's still a sadistic bitch with a tendency to abuse her powers. She's just more cheerful about it." Misty shook her head as her friend thought hard for a decent comeback. "Look, Ash, your streak of failures has given us no choice. The Court has ordered your magic blocked until you succeed in a mission. A magic word will activate it in an emergency, but it has to be a _real_ emergency. _Your_ definition of an emergency would probably just be that you got hungry, or bored, or someone stole your sandwich."

He wanted to say that those did qualify as emergencies, but he could tell that this wasn't the time to joke around. "But how am I gonna make it as a human?"

"You'll find a way."

"What's my new mission?"

Misty thought back to what the Court had told her when they named her the messenger. "Um...Oh, right! There was a prince cursed by a sorcerer, who tried to chase his runaway Pansage and ended up getting hit by enchnated lightning." She rolled her eyes, clearly a _Where do they come up with this stuff?_ gesture. "Your mission is to help the princess of the Dragon Kingdom wake him up." Misty took a step closer, almost as if going to hug him, but hesitated for just a second before returning to 'friend mode.' "I'm sorry. It wasn't my decision."

"Hey, remember what Dawn always says? 'No need to worry.' I'll be back in about a week."

Misty snorted and gave him a playful shove. "Your overconfidence is your weakness."

Overconfident, maybe. But he'll show her. He'll find a human, succeed in his mission, and come back to rub it in the faces of Misty and the Court. Because he was Ash Ketchum_._

Ash soon found himself dumped outside the fairy realm, no sign of Misty or Corsola anywhere. Pikachu made a sound of disappointment, but he was Ash's partner. Of course he would be kicked out with him. Luckily, they'd forgotten to shut down Pikachu's mystic powers, which included a tracking instinct.

"Where are you going, Pikachu?" Ash whined, chasing the little yellow creature down. Pikachu darted down the road, into a small town, where he paused and waited for his master. Ash skidded to a halt beside him, looking around at the bright colors and many Dragon-type Pokemon. "Is this where the princess is?"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried happily, pointing down the road. Ash wasn't going to screw up this time. He'd make sure of it.

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><p>"You're kidding, right, Axew?"<p>

The small green dragon ignored his trainer's pleading, instead staring at the donut hanging from the shop window. "Axew, yew..." he said to himself, not taking his eyes off the treat. The girl hid her face in her hand.

"Don't be a kid," she told him. "We're here to get fresh air. Not donuts."

"Ax..."

The girl picked up the dragon and let him crawl into her hair. "We'll come back later, ok? If they still have donuts, I'll get you a small one."

Axew cheered, glomping her from inside her hair. Princess Iris was, without a doubt, the greatest human ever, at least in Axew's mind. Even if she did prefer to give him fruit and traditional Pokemon food.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a princess."

Iris turned, noticing a strange, black-haired boy with a Pikachu on his shoulder. That was a Pokemon not usually found around here. "Is that your Pikachu?" she squealed, completely ignoring the statement. "It's even cuter than I imagined! We don't find them around here, where did you get it?"

The boy paused, suddenly nervous. "I, uh, don't come from around here. Now, are you or do you know the princess?"

Iris was suddenly on guard, bracing herself for anything. "What do you want with her?"

The boy stuttered for a minute longer, before saying, "I need a princess to help me get home. Do you know where she is?"

"Does it have to be _this_ princess?"

"Is this the Dragon Kingdom?" the boy challenged. Iris nodded. "Then, yeah, it has to be _this_ princess."

"And she is, what, the key to a mystic portal?"

"Look. I'm not gonna hurt her. If this works out, both of us will end up happy. If it doesn't, I'll take her right back to her palace and leave her alone for the rest of eternity. Promise." Both the boy and Pikachu made a cross over their hearts, and they looked pretty harmless...

"Fine, I'll try to help you get back to wherever you came from. But try to touch me, and I'll have Axew Dragon Rage you into the next lifetime."

The growling from her hair seemed threatening enough for the boy to agree.


	2. The Psychic Warning

**If this seems rushed to you, I'm sorry. I just want to start the Wishfulshipping...sorry it's not in this chapter.**

**On the other hand, two chapters in a week? Haven't done that in a while.**

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><p>Iris had been with the boy for only ten minutes, and she was starting to regret it. She had no idea what Ash was doing, and she doubted he did, either. He kept rambling to Pikachu about a mission and his home, something about a prince in a coma and a girl named Misty. Iris didn't get any of it, but then, she didn't really care.<p>

"You have no idea where we're going, do you?" she finally asked, after watching him struggle to find his way out of town.

"Of course I do," Ash huffed. "I just forgot."

Facepalm. "You're never getting home at this rate," she pointed out. She turned to Pikachu, hoping the rodent would have a better sense of direction than his trainer. "What about you, Pikachu? Do you have any idea where we're going, or did this Misty character forget part of her message?"

Pikachu sniffed the air, hoping to catch the scent of magic somewhere. Unfortunately, it was a wasted effort, and he plunked down on the ground as his tummy rumbled. "Chuu..."

Ash took a seat next to him, every bit in agreement. "I hear you, buddy," he said, before looking up at Iris. "You don't know where we can get food, do you?"

Axew cheered and pointed at the donut. "Axew!" he said, scrambling up onto the princess's shoulder to make it clear to her what he wanted. Not that he needed to, of course.

Iris sighed and looked back at her new companions. "Want a donut?"

"Yes," Ash said almost before she finished the question, and it wasn't long before each of them had a small donut ready for eating, much to Axew's pleasure.

"So," Iris said as her friends ate, "where exactly do you come from, and what's all this about a prince?"

"Long story," Ash said, gulping his donut. "To put it short, I'm from pretty far away, the prince was hit by enchanted lightning, it's my mission to get this guy out of his coma, and you're the solution my friend gave me when she passed on the message."

"And I take it she didn't tell you how I'd be useful?"

"Nope. I think she thought we'd figure it out on our own, or at least you. She doesn't have that high of an opinion on my intelligence," he explained, struggling not to make a face.

Whatever Iris was going to say was interrupted by Pikachu, who suddenly jumped up and ran down the street, stopping _just_ before he was out of their sight to bounce up and down, waving them forward. Ash followed, leaving Iris and Axew to stare at their dust, identical expressions of pure confusion on both faces.

"What do you think, Axew?" Iris asked, halfway hoping she wouldn't have to deal with this guy anymore. "Should we leave him to find his own way back?"

"Axew!"

Iris took that to mean, 'You promised.' So she picked up her dragon and followed the strange boy, making a mental note to keep a close eye on him. And possibly arrange to have him placed in the local insane asylum.

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><p>"It looks like your prince is in another castle," Iris pointed out, staring at the old, creepy building Pikachu had led them to. She knew nothing about the yellow creature's magic leading them to the place, but she doubted it was where they brought people who had gotten hit by lightning.<p>

"I was thinking the same thing." But Ash was still giving the building a strange look, almost as if he was aware of the ghosts that could have been living in the place. He may have lost his own magic, but fairies, Pokemon and human alike, had a strange sixth sense that led them to whatever they were seeking. The thing is, though, what _was_ Pikachu seeking?

The door creaked open, but no one was there. The entire group was more than a little freaked out, but the strange building wasn't haunted by dead people. It was just a Haunter, who stared at the two humans curiously before clapping happily, floating up to the ceiling of the room, grabbing them and dragging them into the building. Iris shivered at the cold, creepy touch, but the Haunter paid it no attention.

"This is bad," Ash muttered, recognizing the purple legless creature. "Iris, when this thing sets us down, run."

"That won't be necessary."

The voice definitely belonged to a human female, but it wasn't Iris. Instead, a young woman stood by the window, her nearly emotionless eyes locked onto the arrivals. Ash groaned.

"Hey, Sabrina," he sighed, taking a seat. "Long time no see."

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><p>Axew really didn't know what to think of this Sabrina person. Sometimes she was serious, if easily distracted and slightly psychotic. And other times, she was humming happily as she followed her Kadabra around, keeping up a slight conversation with her prisoners. If that's really what they were.<p>

"I saw you coming back," she explained when Ash asked why she'd kidnapped them, no denial of the subject at all. "I had Kadabra send signals to your Pikachu so I could help you with your new mission." Iris saw the strange girl's eyes flick toward her for a brief second, but she was too distracted by the statement. _New_ mission? "After all, you wouldn't want another me around, would you?"

"No. Humanity can only take one of you even when you're not posessed."

Sabrina hid a smile behind her hand, before returning to her serious personality. "I suppose that's pretty close to a compliment. Now, if you don't mind, I need to talk to the princess."

Iris looked back at Ash, hoping for some kind of explanation for this woman's behavior, but none came. She did, however, notice her body defying gravity as Sabrina called her to another room, leaving the boy and Pikachu behind with the perfectly sane Kadabra and slightly less sane Haunter. Was this Sabrina a ghost?

"No. I'm every bit as alive as you are. I just have talents."

Iris stared at her, not because she'd decided that Sabrina was mentally unstable, but because she _swore_ she'd only said it in her head. "What talents?"

"Psychic powers. And I am as stable as I can get, by the way."

Iris shuddered. She'd never met a _human _psychic before, and it was more than a little uncomfortable. "Please stop reading my mind."

Sabrina shrugged. "If you insist." She looked back at the door, where Kadabra had taken to guarding it to prevent escape. "I take it Ash has no idea what he's doing?"

"Well, he mentioned a prince that got hit by lightning," Iris explained. "Why, do you know?"

"I know a lot of things, Your Highness. But I can only give you limited assistance." She pulled a small hammer off a shelf, giving it to Iris. "You'll use it when you need it. In the meantime, keep it safe."

"Where did the hammer come from?" Iris could feel Axew's confusion, but Sabrina just laughed.

"Let's just say I've got friends on the other side," she said. "And, before you ask: no, I have no idea what it does. But I bet it's awesome."

Great.

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><p>"What did she want to talk about?" Ash asked as they left the creepy building, the strange trio preparing to head to their own home.<p>

Iris shrugged, neglecting to mention the hammer now sitting at the bottom of her traveling bag. "Who really knows? That Sabrina is by far the most confusing person I have ever met. She was trying way too hard to be all mysterious and secretive, but instead she just wound up acting like a kid."

"Yeah. Sorry about that. In my defense, though, she's better than she used to be."

Iris raised an eyebrow. "Is that freak in there your fault?"

Ash and Pikachu shared a nervous look. "Uh...maybe. Indirectly. Definitely not what I was supposed to make happen." He dug around in his own traveling bag, searching for something that would take his mind off the encounter. He finally settled on the map Haunter had given him before they left, and unfolded it to study the roads. After about a minute of 'I see...' and 'So if we go here..' and that sort of thing, he finally held it up for her to look at. "Hey, Iris? What's the quickest way to get to the kingdom of Striaton?"

Axew stared. Ash smiled. Pikachu fell over into the dirt. And Iris banged her head against the nearest tree.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."


	3. Awakening

**And now the Wishfulshippiness begins!**

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><p>Iris had thought that that dealing with Ash would be simple. Supply him with food, follow him, and get entertainment that she couldn't find back home. But his top secret mission and friendship with that lunatic with the Haunter was just the beginning of this insanity, and she was growing steadily more concerned for him as they got lost for the third time that day.<p>

She was staring at the hammer as Ash and Pikachu searched for fruit for their dinner. They'd been on the road for a while now, all of them starting to get hungry, and when Ash had volunteered to find them something to eat, she'd decided to let him go until he came back, begging for her help. It had been five minutes since then, and so far, no begging.

"Why would Sabrina give me a hammer?" she asked herself, to which Axew made a clueless noise. "I'll use it when I need it...seriously, if that's her way of giving an ominous prophecy, the least she could do was tell me _when_ I'd need to use it."

"Talking to yourself, Your Irisness?"

She felt her patience slipping before she'd even turned around, but managed to force a smile in Ash's direction. "Nope. Just opening my mouth for the fun of it."

"I do that too, sometimes." Ash dropped the armload of fruit into a bowl he'd found somewhere. It was hard to tell if he was joking or not. "So, figure out what Sabrina meant?"

"Not even close." The confused princess whacked the ground with the tool, unsurprised when nothing happened. "I just think she's out of her mind."

Pikachu and Axew both made agreeing sounds, but Ash just pushed the fruit toward Iris. "Look, whether or not the hammer will be useful, she had a map to Striaton."

"A map that you can't read."

"But you could," Ash reminded her. "Besides, if you get lost, Pikachu's sixth sense is still active. We'll make it." And he took a big bite of an apple, confident that his mission to get his magic back would be a success. Of course, he had no idea how to wake the sleeping prince, only that Iris was the key. She must have thought she had some kind of magic power that could bring him back to life or something, judging by how few questions she'd asked.

Iris's only response was to pull out the map, scanning the routes carefully. She didn't mention to Ash that she'd only had a few lessons in how to read maps, instead choosing to use her own sixth sense to navigate. She did dimly remember a few bits, but nothing that would help her if she had no idea where she was.

Of course, she'd forgotten that the lunatic was a psychic. A small circle caught her eye, so tiny that Ash had missed it on his own search. Sending a mental thank-you to Sabrina, she proceeded to try to find a path from here. She got mentally lost after about two minutes of staring, and gave up. "Why can't we use Pikachu's so-called sixth sense? He found me, right? Maybe he can find the lightning residue in the prince's skull."

Ash looked down at Pikachu, who met his eyes with his adorable red cheeks stuffed with the chewed-up mush of an entire apple. "Think you can do it?"

Pikachu had to swallow to keep from spitting out whatever he had in his mouth, and then he had to stop choking before he smiled and nodded. "Pika, pikachu!"

"Thanks. You might be the only one capable of doing this." Ash passed the fruit bowl to Iris. "Here. I don't want you starving to death before we complete our mission."

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><p>Despite Pikachu's fairy navigation leading the way, it took the group a day and a half to reach Striaton. It was once a happy, bustling place, but ever since the royal trio had lost one of their own, things had gotten a bit dark. Everyone loved the princes, especially teenage girls, and no one knew if the green-haired one would ever wake up. That would be depressing, all right. Still, everything seemed to be the same, just less bright.<p>

It was the redhead who saw them first. Hair like fire with eyes to match, he approached them with eager anticipation. "Traveling through, are we?" he asked, grinning widely. "What brings you here to our charming little country?"

"We're looking for a prince," Iris explained before Ash could. "Unless you can take us to him, please don't disturb us."

The young man laughed out loud. "But _which_ prince, dear lady, are you and your friend searching for? There are three of them, you see. There is Cress, who is stuck at the palace doing royal work because his brothers couldn't handle it. There is Cilan, who..." he paused, his excitement fading fast, and Iris seized the name. But, before she could continue, the boy sprang right back into his previous enthusiasm. "If you search for Cress, I can help you. And if you're looking for the youngest, most fun, not the smartest but definitely the sexiest of the three," he swept down into a bow, startling them both. "I am he. My name is Chili, and I will be forever at the service of such a beautiful woman."

Axew grumbled something in Iris's hair. She didn't understand it, but Pikachu hissed a "Chu!" at him, so she assumed it was something related to the redhead and his intelligence levels.

"Actually, Chili, we came to see your brother. What was it? Cilan?"

"Cress," Chili corrected, enthusiasm gone. "Cress and I are the only ones left. Cilan had a little accident."

"So I've heard," Iris said simply. "You see, I'm the princess of the dragon kingdom. This is Ash, my bodyguard."

"I am not a bodyguard!" Ash protested. "I organized this mission!"

Iris closed her eyes to avoid scolding him. "Right," she sighed. "Anyway, he seems to think I can be the one to break the spell the lightning put on your brother."

Chili stared. First at the princess with the puffy hair, then at the strange boy who had led her here, and then at the small yellow creature standing between them. "We've had plenty of girls claiming the same," he finally said. "What makes you any different?"

Ash stepped forward. "Because I'm a fairy," he announced, "and it is my assigned mission to help your brother. Iris was the solution the Court came up with, so you should at least try it."

Iris and Chili were both wearing identical expressions of utter disbelief, more than a little concerned now. Iris didn't believe him. Sure, he'd said he came from "pretty far away," and had halfway admitted to causing Sabrina's mixed personality, but a _fairy_? He probably just knew the psychic from a loony bin where they'd both been held hostage. Fairies wouldn't have admitted to being so unless there was an emergency.

Chili, on the other hand, was more uncertain about the boy's claim itself, rather than the sanity going with it. He'd known of fairies, sure. There had been one of the creatures guarding the kingdom for fifteen years, ever since his brother was cursed. None that could reverse it, unfortunately, but they could stop the sorcerer if he tried to curse Cress or Chili, too. His own comment was simple: "Prove it, then."

Ash blinked. He'd expected Chili and Iris to accept this new revelation without anything tying them to rationality, but now he realized that such a reaction was impossible without his magic to help them understand the truth. He probably should have thought it through.

"Here's the thing. I messed up one too many times for the Court to handle, so they kicked me out of the fairy world and told me to do this without my magic. I couldn't do a trick if I tried."

Chili and Iris were silent. Finally, the red-haired prince spoke, almost as if Ash had gotten supernatural assistance of his own.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. Follow me."

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><p>The first thing Iris was aware of in the Striaton palace was a Pansage, curled up in a tiny little Ball of Despair, and a Crustle that watched Iris pass as if afraid to hope that she'd be the one. These were probably Cilan's pets.<p>

"Sorry for flirting with you, Iris," Chili was saying, not bothering to use her royal title. "I usually don't do that."

"Lies!" a new voice hissed, and the boy Iris and friends assumed to be Cress was suddenly there, hand on his brother's shoulder as if to stop him from going anywhere. Chili cleared his throat nervously and gave his blue-haired brother a smile. Cress ignored it and turned his perfectly expressionless face toward the group. "Has Chili been bothering you?"

Iris shook her head. "Not at all," she lied, hoping that it would take her to Cilan faster. She was starting to miss home. "He was just showing us around."

Chili wiggled free of his brother's grip. "Cress, you're not going to believe this, but the boy thinks he's a fairy, and the girl...well, he thinks she can wake up Cilan."

The other's one visible eye flicked between the two, and even Ash could tell that Cress was doubting the statement. But, instead, he focused only on Iris. "Has Chili told you what must be done to break the curse?"

The princess's eyes widened. "I won't have to take his place, will I?"

"Not at all." Chili took her hand and led her away, attempting to corner her in Cilan's room before Cress could say it. His brother, however, wasn't going to let her go on without the knowledge of how to succeed in her mission.

"You're going to have to kiss him. I hope you're prepared."

"_Kiss _him?" she squeaked, attempting to shake Chili off of her. "This is not what Ash told me would have to happen!"

"Misty didn't tell me!" Ash objected, though he understood why. Kissing was something couples did. Iris and Cilan hadn't even met. But, as Iris had promised that she'd do whatever she could, and her people all swore to never back out of a promise to a fairy, she found herself stuck.

Besides, she couldn't let two nice but clueless boys live without their brother. Who knows, Cilan might actually be the smart one.

Chili opened a door, and led Iris inside, where the body of the third brother rested. As Axew poked his head out of her hair to look, Iris took a mental picture of the scene. There was no visible sign of his injury, and it looked like he was only sleeping instead of being all but dead. Not quite as cute as she'd expected, but definitely not bad-looking. She wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to actually kiss him, though.

"If I'm going to do this," she said to Chili, who had been waiting for her to try, "I'm going to need privacy. I don't want you mocking me."

Chili's response, to back off, was completely unexpected, but she and Axew both believed he was waiting just outside the door. Reaching into her traveling bag, Iris pulled out the magic hammer, wondering if this was the use Sabrina had foreseen. Holding it by the head, she poked Cilan with its handle, hoping it would wake him up without physical contact. Unfortunately not - the hammer was useless.

Axew suddenly jumped out of Iris's hair and started motioning, talking quickly in Axew-speak that she didn't fully understand. She understood enough, however. "You're saying that he never specified that the kiss had to be on the mouth?" Axew nodded, pleased with himself. Iris was pretty pleased with him, too. "All right. Let's see if this works."

One split-second kiss on the cheek later, Iris found herself looking into the prince's dazed green eyes. For a moment, the two were alone in silence, each trying to anticipate the other's reaction.

And then Chili practically broke the door down to check on them, and seeing his brother alive, brought in Pansage and Crustle, both of whom turned and glomped the prince. Iris and Axew thought they had a chance to sneak away, but they were only halfway to the door when Chili, giving his best attempt at an official Royal Decree but so clearly doing it just to make his brother uncomfortable, made the announcement:

"True love's kiss has broken the curse. And, just like our parents planned, you two will be married as soon as they return from Nacrene."

_Married? True love? I don't even **know** this guy!_

In Iris's defense, Cilan didn't seem too eager, either, but he forced a smile and turned to his rescuer. "Thank you, for doing what you did. May I at least have your name?"

She had so many conflicting instincts. The first and foremost was to run, of course, but the second was to stay and try to sweet-talk her way out of the marriage. Then came the unexplainable urge to stay and _not _sweet-talk her way out of the marriage, instead getting to know the guy until his parents returned from whatever business they had.

In the end, though, she decided on the fourth course of action.

"Iris," she replied, and _then_ she ran.


	4. A New Mission

**I found the notebook where I wrote the story outline! And, with that as my inspiration, I was finally able to type up...this. Enjoy yourselves!**

**Also, this chapter is a Secret Santa present for the ENTIRE Serebii Wishful thread, since I thought the thing was cancelled and only had this done, so I really, really hope they like it.**

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><p>Cilan was back to normal, or recovered, anyway. There was just nothing normal about him, no matter how hard Iris tried to see it. She would have believed he had some degree of brain damage, but his brothers were treating this like they were used to it.<p>

Not that he wasn't a good person, Iris admitted to herself. He was, and a true gentleman. He cared about his Pokemon, and his brothers, and was very friendly toward her and Ash, accepting the whole thing was just some big misunderstanding that probably wouldn't end in marriage, no matter what his parents or brothers would have wanted. He even allowed Ash to keep believing he was a fairy.

Speaking of, Ash seemed to be having a bit of trouble accessing his magic. Occasionally, someone would hear him whine to Pikachu when he thought no one else was around, something about how Misty had promised that she'd return his powers after the prince had recovered.

"I'm not nuts," he insisted when Iris asked him about it. "Maybe she just hasn't gotten the message that Cilan's ok."

"If you insist," she sighed, and turned her attention to the window. Somewhere out there was home, and though adventure was always welcome, perhaps this adventure was just a bit too strange for her tastes.

Her sixth sense alerted her to Cilan's presence, and she turned around to see him approaching the window. There seemed to be something bothering him, though she knew he'd deny it if she asked.

She asked anyway. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Well, at least he was admitting something was bugging him. "I thought that Ash would be able to prove it if he was a fairy, now that I'm...recovered."

There was something else off about him. "You don't believe," Iris stated, and Cilan shrugged.

"I've always tended to doubt things. I didn't believe in the curse, that's why I went out to chase Pansage through the storm." The monkey sniffled and gave his trainer a hug, but Cilan had already forgiven him for it.

Iris, however, rolled her eyes. "Yeah. That one worked out wonderfully." Her sarcasm faded quickly, however, and she turned back to him. "Who cursed you, anyway?"

The response was interrupted by Ash, carrying a Corsola under one arm and Pikachu under the other.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have a problem," he stated. "And you two are going to be my fairy godparents and help me solve it."

* * *

><p><em>I don't have much time. Someone found the gates to our world, and is taking prisoners to be his slaves. Since I know you, I know I can trust you to play the hero. Come kick butt..but save us all the embarrassment and don't do anything I wouldn't do. - Misty<em>

Iris stared at the paper for a second longer than necessary, understanding that this was the proof she'd been waiting for that Ash really was a fairy. Or that others were playing his game, but she wasn't in the mood to be doubtful. After all, another adventure was waiting, and hopefully this time they could succeed without anybody having to kiss anybody else.

Cilan, however, quite obviously believed that Ash really was crazy. "Now, where exactly can we find this Misty?" he asked, but Ash just slumped forward until his face was on the floor.

"She could be anywhere by now. Whoever found the gate was taking prisoners. She could be one of them." He sighed, before jumping back onto his feet in a frightening mood swing. "She's one of my best friends. You have to help me find her."

Cilan looked back at his brothers, who had come into the conversation not that far into Ash's explanation. Chili didn't seem to care that Cilan had been asked to accept such a request so soon after his recovery. "Cress and I can handle things until our parents come home," he explained. "This guy _did_ help you with your problem. And introduce you to your true love," he taunted, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at Iris.

Iris pulled out her hammer. "I will use this," she threatened, and Chili instantly backed off.

Cress, being the more serious brother, naturally took a more serious approach to things. "Are you really going to give in to this foolishness, Cilan?"

"Living things may be in trouble," Cilan explained. "I may not believe in fairies, but that doesn't mean I won't help normal people."

Ash rolled his eyes and turned to Pikachu and Corsola. "You guys think you can deal with him?"

The two Pokemon exchanged a look. "Chuu..." Pikachu finally sighed, and with permission from his brothers, Cilan joined his new friends in making battle plans.

* * *

><p>Misty could think of worse things than being imprisoned in a giant snow globe. Being imprisoned in a giant snow globe full of bugs, for instance. And that was what kept her snarking through her entire confrontation with the man who had brought chaos and destruction upon her kingdom.<p>

"This is your big evil plan?" she asked through the enchanted glass, looking around at the evil lair. The other fairies were all unconscious, but still alive, and she was going to get them all out of here or die trying. "You just want to keep us hostage so we don't stand in your way?"

"Pretty much."

"Great plan."

The man gave her a look that sent a chill down her spine, but he didn't seem to notice her fear. "There will be more to it than that, little girl. I can make your death quick and painless, or long and full of tortures your mind can't even begin to comprehend. I'd personally prefer the latter, but if you behave yourself, perhaps I could show you a bit of mercy."

"Mercy my ass," Misty grumbled, but fell silent. Her powers were suppressed by this magic snow globe, and her only hope was with the fairy world's most infamous screw-up. She was doomed.


End file.
